Aldea Messages

Lessons From Preschool | Michelle Curcio (Extended Version)

Check out guest speaker Michelle Curcio's special message drawn from her own experience working with children, including lessons about inclusion, openheartedness, and love.
 
Quotes:
 
Arthur Satterwhite (Christianity Today):
 
“God knows something we don’t know (shocker): The differences that we look down upon in others are a reminder of how outrageously intentional, creative, beautiful, openhanded, and openhearted our God is. Sameness is not a virtue in God’s economy. On the contrary, sameness actually limits our ability to see and appreciate the full beauty of the diverse mosaic that is God’s creation.”
 
Listen to the end of the extended version for a response from members of our community!

Practicing Presence | Jake Haber

As we head into the Summer months, Jake encourages us to step outside of our comfort zone & press into our spiritual practices! 
 
Quotes: 
 
Neale Donald Walsch:
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone"
 
Praktikos:
"Pertaining to action, as opposed to theoretical (theoretikos)"
 
Brother Lawrence: 
“That when he had thus in prayer filled his mind with great sentiments of that infinite Being, he went to his work appointed in the kitchen…he spent all the intervals of his time, as well before as after his work, in prayer….We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of Him…. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”
 
Stanislav Grof:
“The potential for a mystical experience is the natural birthright of all human beings”
 
Wei Wu Wei:
“conscious non action, the deliberate and principled decision to do nothing for a reason” 
 
Neale Donald Walsch:
“Emotion is energy in motion. When you move energy, you create effect….It is the alchemy of the universe. It is the secret of all life.”
 
Ram Dass:
"What about all these things like joining ashrams, or going into systems or joining temples or..spiritual clubs, or going on retreats? All of it has its function, but the only way you know that it’s what you need is because your heart tells you. It pulls you toward it. Take what teachings you’re able to get and you need and go on. Don’t get hung up. I don’t feel any loyalty to any teacher I’ve had other than to become as conscious as I possibly can in order to alleviate human suffering… because there’s nothing else to do. And when I get all done, nothing happened at all anyway." 
 
 

Flow: Art & Awareness | Marlies Wolf & Jake Haber

Check out our interview with special guest Marlies Wolf, whose unique journey has led her from a mysterious illness to spirituality and meditation, and finally, to starting her own business teaching art as a mindfulness practice! 
 
Be sure to listen to the end for a profound guided meditation on awakening the creative spirit in us all!
 
Quotes:
 
Vincent Van Gogh: 
“Paintings have a life of their own that originates in the painter’s soul.”
 
Eckhart Tolle:
“It’s vital for every human being to contact that place within, where intuition arises, because otherwise you are confined to the limitations of your conceptual mind.”
 
Deepak Chopra: 
“Life is a river that continues to flow. You can’t step into it in the same place twice. Ever changing, existence is always new.”
 
Rob Walker:
“It’s all about taking in as much of what’s out there as you can. Attention is vitality. It’s the difference between looking and seeing, between hearing and listening, between accepting what the world presents and noticing what matters to you."

Koans of Christ | Luke Bricker & Jake Haber

Check out our conversation with special guest Luke Bricker, founder of Current Collective Church in San Diego, and author of the new book, Koans of Christ!
 
Enjoy this wide ranging dialogue as we cover Luke's transformational journey and his thoughts on reclaiming the words and teaching of Jesus as part of an evolving and expanding spirituality. 
 
Quotes: 
 
Zen Koan: 
 
Two monks were traveling together down a muddy road while a heavy rain was still falling. Coming around a bend, they met a beautiful girl in a silk kimono unable to cross the intersection. “Come on, girl” one monk said. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.
Fuming, the other monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. He could no longer restrain himself and said, “we monks made a vow to never touch a female, especially not a young and beautiful one! It is dangerous. Why did you do that?” 
“I left the girl there,” the monk replied, 
“are you still carrying her?” 
 
Luke 18:10-14
Two men went up into the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisees stood away from others and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like those other people who cheat, are unjust, and sexually immoral, like that sorry tax collector over there. I fast twice a week, read the Scriptures daily, and I tithe the first of everything that I make.”
But the tax collector, standing far away from him, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest with tears in his eyes, saying: “God, I ask only for mercy. I feel completely aimless.” I tell you; this man left the Temple justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts themself will be humbled, but the one who humble themself will be exalted. 

The Mystery of Birth (Mother's Day) | Margo Nelson & Jake Haber

On Mother's Day, we had an amazing conversation with midwife, educator, and entrepreneur Margo Nelson. She led us through a wide ranging set of topics, including the evolution of birthing practices, the spirituality of the birth process, and her journey to becoming a midwife. 
 
Learn more about Margo: 
https://indiebirth.org/ 
 
Margo's Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/midwifery-for-the-people/id1022992355
 

THRIVAL (Part 10): What's In Your Toolkit? | Kathleen, Dennis, Kim & Bill

Check out the finale of our THRIVAL series as we turn to a few of our community members and learn about some of their tools for thriving!

Guided Meditation: Self-Compassion | Kathleen Roberts

Enjoy this guided meditation on self-compassion and forgiveness!

THRIVAL (Part 9): It Takes A Village | Jake Haber

As we near the end of our THRIVAL series, tune in to this message about the interdependent nature of reality and how we can experience ourselves most fully in community. 
 
Quotes: 
 
Steve Jobs:
"I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow I did not breed or perfect the seeds. I do not make any of my own clothing. I speak a language I did not invent or refine. I did not discover the mathematics I use. I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate, and do not enforce or adjudicate. I am moved by music I did not create myself. When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive. I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with. I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well being."
 
Dalai Lama:
“Things are highly interdependent. The very concepts of “we” and “they” are becoming irrelevant. War is out of date because our neighbors are part of ourselves.”
 
Martin Luther King Jr.:
"Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured. It is its interrelated quality. We aren’t going to have peace on earth until we recognize this basic fact of the interrelated structure of all reality"
 
J. Krishnamurti
“Action has meaning only in relationship, and without understanding relationship, action on any level will only breed conflict. The understanding of relationship is infinitely more important than the search for any plan of action.” 
 
Leviticus 3:22:
“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you.” 
 
Acts 4:32-35:
"The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything…And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need."
 
Adrienne Marie Brown:
“Do you already know that your existence--who and how you are--is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life."
 
Albert Einstein:
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. (They experience (themself), (theyir) thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of (their) consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”  
 
 

Guided Meditation: Lovingkindness | Kathleen Roberts

Enjoy this guided lovingkindness meditation, also known as Metta. 

THRIVAL (Part 8): Laughter is Medicine | Jake Haber & Nancy Stanley

Laugh with us as we explore the healing and transformative power of humor, including an interview with Tucson comic Nancy Stanley!
 
Quotes:
 
Maya Angelou:
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
 
Alan Watts:
"Real religion is the transformation of anxiety into laughter."
 
Gospel of Thomas (63): 
"Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had considerable wealth. He said, 'I shall invest my wealth so as to sow, reap, plant, and fill my barns with crops, lest I run short of something.' These things are what he was thinking in his heart, and that very night the man died. Whoever has ears should listen!"
 
Lao Tzu:
“If it were not laughed at, it would not be sufficient to be Tao.”